Stronger defence for Wikinformation, etc

GoI has sought an explanation from Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the non-profit user-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia, over vandalisation of an article about cricketer Arshdeep Singh following a loss to Pakistan in an Asia Cup match. The vandalisation amounting to slander, reportedly traced back to servers in Pakistan, poses a threat to India's peace, and GoI has a legitimate concern how it was allowed to be on display for some 15 minutes. Wikipedia tackles vandalism within minutes through bots and human editors, as it contends it did in this case. India's expectation of a safe and trusted internet rests on the filtering mechanism employed by information platforms beyond its jurisdiction.

The world over, lawmakers are seeking greater accountability over misinformation. The process is largely cooperative to encourage authoritative gathering and dissemination of information. This involves consensus among a wide set of players that include information gatherers and moderators, online platforms and public authorities. Vital to this approach is a self-regulatory code for information intermediaries and a rapid response system aided by disinformation experts. And since the menace is felt across the board, greater international cooperation is needed. Ultimately, governments can counter misinformation by becoming more proactive with credible information they share, forcing information intermediaries to reach up to a higher benchmark.

Technology and the market, too, have a role to play here. Algorithms and amplification mechanisms will improve to weed out misinformation. Advertising money, or user donations in the case of Wikipedia, will moderate content on online platforms in addition to fences erected by AI. Aggregators, on their part, will need a dynamic set of content policing rules to retain and increase their audience. Lawmakers need to pool together the constraints imposed by innovation and the profit motive to keep information flowing over the internet healthy. Trying to dam the information flow is counterproductive.